Skydancer - the UK's hen harriers

Eyes to the skies for returning hen harriers

2021-04-13T09:51:00Z

Buzzard, kestrel… or hen harrier?

It's that time of year when we invite you all to look out for hen harriers as they return to their breeding grounds. If you think you’ve seen a hen harrier, please email: henharriers@rspb.org.uk

A female hen harrier, credit Tim Jones

Hen harriers are medium-sized birds of prey, similar to a buzzard but with a slightly slimmer appearance, with long wings and a long tail. Female and young hen harriers are speckled brown and cream with horizontal stripes on their tails. The most striking feature is the patch of white at their rump. Males are slightly smaller and pale grey with black wingtips. Both have a round, owl-like face.

As the weather warms up, these birds are becoming more visible as they make their long journeys away from their winter roosting grounds and up to the moors to breed. Hen harriers nest on the ground amongst heather or soft rush in the uplands, in places like the North Pennines, Yorkshire Dales and the Forest of Bowland. You maybe even lucky enough to encounter their skydancing display, a dizzying aerial show of rolls and dives, performed by either the male and female to mark their territory and demonstrate their vigour.

Hen harriers are the UK's most persecuted bird of prey relative to its population size, and could disappear as a breeding bird as a result. There were only 19 successful nests in England in 2020, though there is food and habitat to support over 300 hen harrier pairs.

A male hen harrier, credit Jack Ashton-Booth

The RSPB’s Jack Ashton-Booth said: “We are calling on the Great British public to email our Hen Harrier Hotline if they believe they’ve seen a hen harrier. This helps us build a picture of where these birds are. Please contact us if you see them in England, Wales or Scotland. We welcome any sightings and appreciate your time.

“Hen harriers are beautiful and elusive raptors and, unlike peregrines and kestrels, they are rarely seen in urban environments. So if it’s perched on your fence, it’s probably a sparrowhawk, if it’s in a tree by the roadside, it’s probably a kestrel or a buzzard… but if it’s over rough pasture or moorland, and matches the description above, then you might have seen a hen harrier.

“Sadly hen harriers are a long way from reaching a healthy, self-sustaining population, and this is largely down to persecution by humans. Particularly where land is managed for the purpose of driven grouse shooting, natural predators like hen harriers can be viewed as pests and, despite being legally protected, the shooting, trapping and poisoning of hen harriers is a serious and ongoing problem.”

If you think you’ve seen a hen harrier, please email: henharriers@rspb.org.uk

Please include the date, time, location/grid reference and a description of the bird.

Hen harrier Wendy: a top mum!

2021-03-12T08:00:00Z

Amazing mum Wendy is one of the RSPB’s oldest tagged hen harriers and has raised two broods already in the past two years. Will she have a third in 2021?

Wendy in flight. Photo by Will Hayward

As the hen harrier breeding season approaches, RSPB scientists are watching the skies for the return of one of their oldest satellite-tagged hen harriers, who has nested on the West Coast of Scotland every year since she hatched.

Wendy was tagged in 2016 at HM Naval Base Clyde’s Coulport Site as part of the RSPB’s EU LIFE+ project. She was one of two chicks in the nest. Her brother Donald, who was also tagged, risked a long flight to France but sadly did not survive the journey. Wendy however stayed much closer to home and has continued to do so throughout her life, successfully raising two broods herself since then.

Hen harriers are red-listed and in recent decades their population has declined in the UK, largely due to human persecution. Scotland is a traditional stronghold for these elegant and agile hunters - known for their beautiful ‘skydancing’ courtship display - yet even here their numbers are falling and illegal killing sadly continues.

Over 100 hen harriers were tagged as part of the five-year LIFE project, but most female birds have died or vanished - often on or near driven grouse moors - before reaching breeding age.

Satellite tag data shows that Wendy favours spending her winters on Mull, then heading back to the mainland each summer to nest. The first nest site she chose, near Loch Fyne, was unsuccessful. The following year she nested in Perthshire but was unlucky again. Tail feathers were found on her nest, and it was initially feared that a fox had taken both Wendy and her eggs. However it turned out Wendy had managed to escape the attack, and she was recorded soon after on the Argyll coast.

However in 2019 Wendy nested in Argyll and this time she raised three chicks, before heading back to her winter home on Mull. Wendy returned to nest in Argyll again last year and raised another brood: this time three females and two males.

One of these was Bathsheba, who was tagged just like her mother, and is also being tracked by the RSPB. Bathsheba spent her first year after leaving the nest exploring south, around Dumfries and Galloway, then north into the Highlands. She has also opted to spend her winters on Mull. It's rare to have a tagged mother and daughter both still alive, and it's hoped Bathsheba will become a mum herself for the first time this summer.

Three of Wendy's brood in 2019 (Bathsheba in the middle)

Wendy's 2020 brood enjoying a breakfast of meadow pipits! Photo by David Jardine

In the last two weeks, we have herd that Wendy has left Mull and looks to be heading back to her nest site, where the tagging team are hopeful she will nest for a third time this spring.

Jenni Burrell, Investigations Intelligence Officer at the RSPB, has been monitoring Wendy closely these past five years. Says Jenni:

“Wendy is one of our oldest tagged hen harriers. She hatched in 2016 and is a Scottish bird through and through, having stayed true to the West Highlands all her life. She has raised two broods and we’re hopeful she’ll be back at the same site once again to raise another family this spring.

“It’s been fascinating to watch her movements and see her raise young of her own. She has survived the gauntlet of predation and illegal persecution so far, and we’ve got everything crossed that she’ll have another successful summer in 2021.”

MOD Police Inspector John Simpson added:

“The MOD Police Wildlife Crime Officers were delighted to be part of this initiative and I am pleased to see Wendy is doing so well. The Defence landholding on the Clyde is a haven for this protected species and we will continue to ensure they thrive.”

Have you seen a hen harrier?

If you see a hen harrier, we’d love to know! Males are silver with black wingtips and a white rump; females are mottled brown and cream with a long, barred tail. Please email the hen harrier hotline at: henharriers@rspb.org.uk. If possible, include time, date, location and photo or description. Thank you.

Wendy's mate. Photo by David Jardine

There and back again: a tale of two hen harriers

2021-02-17T08:00:00Z

By James Bray and Niall Owen

For several years now, satellite tags have been providing the RSPB with vital – and often surprising – data on how and where hen harriers live. This is the story of two remarkable hen harriers, Bomber from Wales and Apollo from Lancashire, who have reset our expectations of what these remarkable birds can do.

Apollo being tagged as a youngster in 2019 as part of the Hen Harrier LIFE project

Initially we believed that most of our tagged hen harriers stayed in the British uplands all year-round. However, it’s become clear that around 10% of birds cross the English Channel for the winter, some bound for France and a few for Spain. And none of the tagged RSPB birds that travelled to Spain made it back to the UK.

Meet Apollo. Apollo fledged from the United Utilities Bowland estate in Lancashire in 2019. The RSPB works in partnership with United Utilities, their farming and shooting tenants, and the AONB, to protect close to a third of England’s hen harrier breeding population. After leaving Bowland, this Lancashire-born male flew almost 1000 miles to Portugal, then on to Extremadura in Spain – a landscape of steppes, forest and farming west of Madrid, and one of the most biodiverse places in Europe. Our last blog had us wondering whether he would return to the UK to breed. By April 2020, all other Bowland birds had returned, so our expectations for Apollo were low. But late in April, incredibly, he left his Spanish wintering ground and made the long, perilous journey north.

Apollo flew across the Bay of Biscay, the sea crossing taking him two days. He then flew straight through northern France and was soon making his way through the Welsh hills, where he spent a few days making short jumps (possibly feeding, possibly looking for a mate). On 15 May 2020 he arrived back in Bowland and settled down to breed with a young female just a couple of miles from where he hatched.

Apollo's route

The pair nested on a private estate; to our knowledge the first nest on a private estate for ten years. It was great to see them welcomed by the estate and this nest will hopefully be the start of the species recolonising areas of Bowland where they haven’t been breeding for a long time.

Apollo brought in plenty of food in but only one chick fledged. Disappointingly, this chick’s satellite tag signal disappeared near the nest not long after fledging. Neither tag nor bird were found.

Come October 2020, Apollo was on the move again. Incredibly, he headed in a dead-straight line back to Extremadura, and to the exact-same place that he spent last winter.

Bomber in flight (photo by Niall Owen)

This is Bomber. Named for her ring number (B2) and sheer size, she fledged from the Migneint, Snowdonia in July 2019, and in October began the first leg of an epic round-trip. Her tag allowed us to track her as she crossed the Channel and continued south, settling in the Navarra region of northern Spain for the winter. This was even more remarkable, because most female hen harriers tend not to wander far from where they hatched.

In spring 2020, Bomber embarked on her return journey home, arriving to north Wales on 9 May 2020, already some way into the typical breeding cycle of hen harriers. She quickly established herself in an area of the Carneddau range, around 25 miles from her natal site. Not all hen harriers breed in their first year, however Bomber paired up with an adult male, but sadly none of their chicks fledged.

Bomber appeared to spend the autumn bettering her hunting skills, and on 3 November – a month later than in 2019 – she flew south and was back in her winter territory by the 18^th. She had covered almost 1000 miles in just over two weeks.

Winter-site fidelity has been shown in a number of bird species, but hen harriers have a reputation for wandering, making the stories of Apollo and Bomber absolutely fascinating – and something we would never have known were it not for satellite tagging. By contrast, Apollo’s brother Dynamo has not gone further than 50 miles from Bowland over the course of his life!

The longer these birds live, the more amazing stories they tell us. It looks like, at the moment, our tagged hen harriers are surviving longer than before which is, of course, a very welcome development.

The UK hen harrier population has declined in recent decades, largely due to human persecution, making every returning hen harrier a beacon of hope for the future. We’re very excited by what spring 2021 may bring and desperately hope that both Apollo and Bomber make it back to Britain to nest again and safely rear a brood. Hopefully, a year older and wiser, these brilliant birds will go on to raise a family and send a new intrepid generation out into the world.

Bomber's route

Hen Harrier Day murals

2020-08-10T13:16:00Z

A flock of painted hen harriers has appeared across the UK in the form of three striking murals.

These incredible creations have sprung up as part of Hen Harrier Day 2020: one at former home of Hen Harrier Day Rainham Marshes in Essex, one in Hartoft, in the heart of the North Yorks Moors and the other just outside Inverness.

They’re a tribute to people’s passion for these inspirational birds, and aim to serve as a visual reminder of the beauty and the plight of hen harriers in the UK.

Rainham Mural

Many of you will be familiar with the site at Rainham, which has played host to Hen Harrier Day on three occasions between 2016 and 2018. This striking female hen harrier has been painted by street Artist ATM on the entrance wall of the reserve.

ATM told us:

"It took two days to paint and a lot of consideration and sketches beforehand to work out the best way to use the space of that particular wall to capture a sense of movement in the bird. I'm very happy with it. I feel I caught something of the spirit of a male hen harrier, 'the ghost of the moors'.

"This is the fourth piece of hen harrier street art I've painted for Hen Harrier Day. The first was for Charlie Moores and BAWC in 2014, a male on a pillbox on the Isle of Sheppey, a spot over which they migrate. In July 2014 I also painted a female for the Whitecross Street Festival in East London, using the hashtag #HenHarrierDay, and handed out leaflets about hen harrier persecution (which no-one knew about; they didn't even know about hen harriers). That's why I do street art at festivals and other places, to try to reach new audiences.

"I painted a female at the 2015 Upfest Street Art Festival in Bristol, again with the hashtag #HenHarrierDay. There are lots of photographers and bloggers at that event, so I'm sure it got widely disseminated.

"It feels dreadful to me that these birds are persecuted. They're such beautiful birds, and top predators are an essential part of all healthy ecosystems.

"I hope the mural will help to inspire people with a love for hen harriers and a desire to protect them. I hope people will think about the disasters that are happening unseen on driven grouse moors and write to their MPs to change the law or strengthen it, to allow prosecution of landowners for crimes enacted on their estates, and convictions with proper deterrent sentences, as happens for example in Spain for raptor persecution. Putting pressure on legislators and law enforcement bodies is probably the best that can be done."

The Hartoft Mural

This epic scene was painted by Nicky and Simon Johnson, on the side of their house. Here’s what they told us:

“The idea to paint a mural was sparked after looking at social media coverage of Hen Harrier Day 2019. We have an old barn with a rendered gable end wall, which faces the local grouse moor and has a public footpath and bridleway running past it. It was crying out for a mural… though neither of us had ever painted one before!

“We had a shed full of half used paint pots, in many shades and colours, which were all suitable pigments for mixing with an acrylic exterior wall paint base… so we decided to go ahead and recycle them in a positive way!

“We gathered some ideas and asked an artist friend for his ‘take’. Between us we came up with a plan. Then, just as we were about to begin the painting project, news came out about the illegal trapping and shooting of a buzzard at Appleton le Moors. This was swiftly followed by news that a goshawk had been illegally killed near Goathland. We were so incensed about these crimes happening, virtually on our doorstep.

“As we lacked confidence in our ability to paint the planned hen harriers on the vertical wall, we decided to draw them onto the marine ply, cut them out, paint them and then fix them onto the landscape we had painted on the wall. It was scary, but we’ve done it!”

Inverness Mural: Flower of Scotland

If you’re driving along the A9 by the Daviot Woods, near Inverness, look out for this striking, Banksy-esque mural created by FRESHPAINT.

Thistle was a young hen harrier tagged in 2019, but by Christmas that year her tag stopped transmitting without warning or explanation. Her tag’s last fix came from an area of driven grouse moor.

Andrea Goddard, who arranged the mural, said: “With no physical Hen Harrier Day (Highlands) event to organise this year due to Covid-19 I wanted to develop something for the online event instead. As this year there was a strong emphasis on the creative arts I decided that creating a mural of the disappeared female hen harrier Thistle in the area where she lived was an ideal local project.

“I am over the moon with everything. The mural looks amazing. Large, striking and thought-provoking, it is everything I had hoped it would be. It will, for years to come catch people’s eye as they drive past and hopefully encourage discussion about hen harriers to all who stop to visit, particularly with those who weren’t previously aware of the species or their perilous situation. Additionally I hope Highland people will feel a connection with Thistle and her plight and develop a sense of ownership of the mural over time. Situated at North Gateway café development on the A9, four miles south of Inverness, it is easily accessible to all.”

Hen Harrier Day goes online!

2020-08-06T15:59:00Z

This Saturday the RSPB is supporting Online Hen Harrier Day, a packed programme of talks, mini films, competitions and artistic creations all celebrating the iconic, moorland-dwelling, sky-dancing hen harrier. The event will take place on 8 August and, like so many others, will be a fully online experience for 2020! It will be hosted by Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin, and you can find it and subscribe at: www.youtube.com/HenHarrierDayUK

UPDATE: Already more than 21,000 of you have signed the e-action and emailed your local MPs urging them to act now to stop raptor persecution. You can sign it here now - it's live until the 31 August.

Credit Pete Morris

The interest this year's Hen Harrier Day has attracted from those eager to contribute has been utterly heartwarming. From household names to young, passionate conservationists in the making, from street artists to choirs, so many have given their time to helping put this day together.

As well as being a celebration of hen harriers, the day also aims to highlight the continuing illegal persecution of these birds.

Since 2004 numbers have tumbled by 24% and we all know the reason why this downward dive is so steep. There should be 300 pairs in England alone, yet each year only a handful of nests are recorded. Scientific research published in 2019 showed that 72% of the satellite-tagged hen harriers in their study were killed or very likely to have been killed on British grouse moors, and that hen harriers were 10 times more likely to die or disappear over areas of grouse moor relative to other land uses.

Mark Thomas, Guy Shorrock and Ian Thomson will be speaking about their experience working in RSPB Investigations, helping to protect hen harriers and other birds of prey by gathering evidence of raptor persecution and pushing for urgent changes to secure their future.

So, tune in on Saturday and help us raise our voices for hen harriers. Twitter users, keep an eye on @RSPBbirders and @HHDayUK for more.

“I am delighted to be hosting Hen Harrier Day Online and look forward to enthusing audiences new and old about these iconic birds," says Chris Packham. "I have been involved in Hen Harrier Days since the first one in the Derwent Valley in 2014, and I am delighted to see the event flourishing despite the tragedy of Covid-19. I am looking forward to a great day helping raise awareness of this wonderful bird and its terrible persecution on driven grouse moors. I will be talking to inspiring young people, great experts and many others who want to see urgent change in our uplands so that hen harriers can continue to be part of these landscapes.”

Martin Harper, Conservation Director at the RSPB, said: “Nature is in crisis and the time is now to build a sustainable and nature-rich future for the benefit of us all. The problems in our uplands – from peatbog burning and flooding to raptor persecution – must be addressed urgently. Hen Harrier Day is crucial in helping bring these issues to the fore.”

Dr Ruth Tingay, co-director of Wild Justice said: "Having an online event for Hen Harrier Day 2020 is testament to the determination of conservationists to see an end to the illegal killing of hen harriers and other raptors on the UK's grouse moors. Not even a global pandemic will put us off. Wild Justice is thrilled to be supporting this event."

Alan Cranston, Chair of Hen Harrier Action, said: “The hen harrier is a symbol for our wider concerns about nature in the uplands and that is a theme that has resonated with many poets, writers and artists who will be taking part.

“The moorlands of Britain are places we all should be able to enjoy, whether as visitors or locals. By hosting the event online, we hope that even more people will be able to join us this year in celebrating the UK’s hen harriers and the landscapes they bring to life.”

Watch live at: www.youtube.com/HenHarrierDayUK

And get involved on social media at: @HHDayUK

Happy birthday to our oldest harrier!

2020-06-12T13:12:00Z

We’re delighted to say that one of our tagged hen harriers has turned the distinguished age of five - making her the Hen Harrier LIFE project’s oldest bird.

She was fitted with a satellite transmitter as a chick in June 2015, in Perthshire, Scotland, and is the only surviving bird from that year. By tracking her movements, we have been able to collect valuable data about the species, and it’s been a joy and a privilege to watch her story unfold.

This grand dame is a home bird through and through and has remained in Scotland all her life. In her first year she established a pattern she has stuck to for the rest of her life – dispersing approximately 50km away to spend the autumn and winter in Angus then returning to breed in the spring close to where she hatched. Her movements fit in with previous studies which show that more female Scottish-born hen harriers remain in Scotland for the winter than males, and more females choose to spend this time on moorland rather than lower ground near the coast.

In following her for five years, scientists have been able to gather a wealth of data, adding to the picture of the lives led by hen harriers after they fledge. Her winter travels have also led us to discover new harrier roost sites. Some of these sites have been used by other satellite-tagged harriers in the area.

Her story shows how long hen harriers could live if left untroubled by persecution. Sadly, a large number of hen harriers tagged during the Hen Harrier LIFE project have vanished or been killed before seeing out their first year.

There are just over 500 hen harrier pairs in the UK. However estimates based on habitat and food availability suggest there is the potential for a population of over 2,500 pairs. They are subject to heavy persecution, particularly where land is managed for driven grouse shooting.

Satellite tagging has revolutionised the way we study these vulnerable birds, giving us unparalleled insights into their lives and the threats they face.

It shouldn’t be an event for a hen harrier to reach five years old – the longevity record for a hen harrier in the UK, from ringing records, is 15 years 9 months – and we hope this wonderful bird continues to thrive for many more years to come.

Huge thanks go out to the Scottish Raptor Study Group for their monitoring work.

Apollo spotted in sunny Spain!

2020-03-04T12:47:00Z

James Bray, our Bowland Project Officer has spotted Apollo at his wintering site.

This is a second installment in the story of Apollo, a male hen harrier that was fitted with a satellite tag in 2019 as part of the RSPB’s Hen Harrier LIFE project.

Following Apollo’s post-fledging journey of almost 1,000 miles from Lancashire down to Portugal, he has been in Extremadura in central Spain since the end of October 2019. As he has been remarkably settled for the past two months I could no longer resist the temptation to travel to Spain to see if I could catch up with a bird that my team of staff and volunteers spent months monitoring in the nest in northern England.

On my first full day in Extremadura I found the area that Apollo was roosting in fairly easily, but the terrain was very undulating so I thought I might struggle to see him well, if I did manage to see him at all. After spending half an hour watching and photographing a pair of great spotted cuckoos at close range I picked up a ringtail hen harrier soaring high in the sky. It then started dropping down to hunt, so with a bit of careful driving, I managed to get close to the harrier. As I took photos I could see that she wasn’t tagged and obviously wasn't Apollo, given that he is male. Even if it wasn’t Apollo, it was still very nice to see my first hen harrier in Spain.

The habitat where Apollo was spending his time (photo: James Bray)

I was back the next afternoon, and knowing the area much better, and having some good overnight location fixes from Apollo's tag, I thought I had a better-informed plan. However, I didn’t see any harriers until close to dark when two hen harriers popped up within a couple of hundred metres of me. A grey male and a ringtail, and straight away I could see that the ringtail was tagged – Apollo! I had my camera up but had lost Apollo, so I took a few photos at the grey male. Even the most surrealist of artists would blush at my attempts to claim it was a hen harrier, so I suspect that photos of a brown bird in that light would have been even more hopeless. But at least I had seen Apollo, and that evening’s rioja tasted very nice!

Apollo flying over the hills of Extremadura (Photo: James Bray)

Two mornings later I arrived back whilst it was still completely dark. A wait that was enlivened by calling quail and a hunting black-shouldered kite was finally rewarded as I picked up a harrier flying steadily away from where I was positioned. It was already at some height, and it was still fairly gloomy, but I was still able to see that the bird was tagged and that I was therefore watching Apollo again. I managed to get a few photos of him before I jumped into the car and drove along a road hoping to intercept him for better views. Disappointingly, I wasn’t able to relocate him, but on checking my camera I found that I had managed to get some photos showing the tag. Even if they aren’t the best photos of a harrier ever, at that moment, to me they were!

Checking the map, in a straight line he is (roughly!) 1,009 miles south of his nest site in Lancashire. It would have been nice to watch him hunt a bit, but his daytime fixes show that he is hunting a few kilometres from where he roosts, and given how mobile hunting harriers can be, it would have been a needle in a haystack job to find him during the day.

Overjoyed at seeing Apollo, I spent the rest of the five days that I was in Spain birding, and saw some really amazing birdlife. In the late winter the plains are covered in singing calandra larks and corn buntings, amongst which I saw a few groups of great and little bustards. The world famous Monfrague National Park provided spectacular views of griffon and black vultures as well as a pair of endemic Spanish imperial eagles. And rather fittingly, the last bird that I photographed before heading home was a grey male hen harrier.

Other birds in a similar area to Apollo include corn buntings (left) and vultures (right) (Photos: James Bray)

Apollo’s story has been spectacular so far and we are all intrigued as to what his next move will be. Will he stay in Spain, his head turned by the locals and the sunny weather, or will he try to return to northern England? The return journey is very long and fraught with danger, as would be his return to northern England, but it would be a dream come true to see him skydancing over the Lancashire hills. As the days lengthen over the next few weeks he is likely to make his move.

Apollo arrives in Portugal

2020-03-04T10:23:00Z

James Bray, our Bowland Project Officer shares some exciting news about Apollo.

This summer we had five hen harrier nests in Bowland, with a total of 22 chicks successfully fledging from these nests. RSPB staff and volunteers working on the Hen Harrier LIFE project helped to monitor and protect these young birds and their parents. We worked alongside United Utilities’ tenants, who helped by carrying out some of the diversionary feeding at the nest where Apollo fledged.

Each day was nerve wracking but after two long months we were really pleased to see the chicks start to fledge, and just before they did, we fitted some of them with satellite tags so we could monitor where they went. We were not prepared for what we would see next as Apollo set off on a 1,000 mile journey!

Apollo as a chick

Like many young hen harriers, Apollo spent his first three months of life staying close to where he had fledged from his nest on the United Utilities Bowland estate in August 2019. I managed to catch sight of him one memorable afternoon in early October and was incredibly lucky to watch him for over fifteen minutes as he played in the wind with two of Bowland’s other young males.

Soon afterwards Apollo headed south, spending one night in the west Pennines then a week in the hills of mid Wales up until 19 October. We might have expected him to stay in this area for longer, but the very next day on 20 October his tag sent signals from Exmoor in Devon. He was not finished there though.

On the 21 October he crossed the English Channel and spent the night in Brittany, not too far from where one of his mother’s chicks from another brood in 2018 had spent the winter. Just when we thought he couldn’t get any more adventurous, Apollo proved us wrong.

We were all astounded when we looked at the data from his tag on 22 October, as it showed that he was still heading south, this time half-way across the Bay of Biscay. Messages continued to be transmitted by his tag and we had a very nervous 24 hours before we saw that Apollo had successfully completed the crossing and was now in northern Spain. The distance in a straight line from Brittany to where he made land in Spain is over 400 miles and he completed this journey, with the help of a light northerly wind, in less than a day. This is a spectacular piece of flying for a bird that was only a few months old on his first major outing.

Apollo spent a bit of time in northern Spain and by 26 October he continued his journey south and became the first of our tagged harriers to reach Portugal. By the end of October, he moved slightly east again and had clearly found somewhere that he liked as he has remained fairly settled in Extremadura in central Spain since then. This is an area that many British birders know well as it holds a wealth of very exciting wildlife, including montagu’s harriers in the spring and summer.

We are continuing to monitor the data coming in from Apollo’s tag, and we’re excited to see whether this remarkable bird will return to his native Bowland for the summer and if we might have a chance to see him sky-dancing above our hills again.

A map of Apollo's journey from Lancashire to Portugal

This story shows just how strong and resilient these birds can be, venturing into new territories at a very young age. However, our project team, and I’m sure many of you reading this, are all too aware of what fate could await Apollo if he does return home.

The use of satellite tagging technology to track movements of individuals provides powerful information to better understand species and their ecology, which can then inform conservation management. Think of the non-stop globe-traversing flights of bar-tailed godwits, or the revelations of the lives and journeys of British-breeding common cuckoos.

Satellite-tags fitted to hen harriers by the Hen Harrier LIFE project team provided information on the areas that these birds use, and this information will be vital in planning habitat management work to provide suitable habitat for hen harriers in both the breeding season and in winter.

However, tagging also allows us to identify the fates of our birds and shows that hen harrier continue to be killed illegally, most recently with the loss of Mary who was found poisoned in the Republic of Ireland. Apollo’s amazing journey reminds us how much we’d be missing if this killing continues.

A positive way of working in the uplands is possible, as the success in Bowland last year demonstrates. We are continuing to monitor the data coming in from Apollo’s tag, and we’re excited to see whether this remarkable bird will return to his native Bowland for the summer and if we might have a chance to see him skydancing above our hills again.

For now, we hope that Apollo continues to enjoy his winter in the Spanish sunshine.

Rare hen harrier illegally poisoned in Ireland

2020-02-11T16:45:00Z

The RSPB issued the following press release on 30 January 2020:

The female bird, named Mary, had been fitted with a satellite tracking device.
The bird’s body was found dead beside a pigeon and meat baits laced with poison.
Conservationists unite in condemnation of this appalling crime and call for a thorough and transparent investigation.

A rare, protected bird of prey has been illegally poisoned near Drumconrath in County Meath, Ireland.

Mary hatched in the summer of 2019 from a nest on the Isle of Man. Before she left her nest, she was fitted with a lightweight satellite tracking device as part of the EU Hen Harrier LIFE project, allowing the RSPB and Manx BirdLife to monitor her movements. On 2 November, the tag sent a signal showing that the bird was dead in Co. Meath. RSPB Investigations promptly travelled to Ireland and, with help from the Irish National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), found her body on land managed for a pheasant shoot. It was lying beside a pigeon carcass with other chunks of meat nearby.

Tests by the Irish State Laboratory found that the pigeon and meat chunks had been laced with the banned pesticide Carbofuran. This substance was also present in Mary’s liver, showing that she had fed on these and been poisoned as a result.

Conservationists are urging the NPWS and Gardaí (the Irish Police Force) to take the appropriate steps to bring the perpetrators to justice, and offer their assistance in this regard.

Hen harriers are a protected species in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and in Ireland under the EU Birds Directive and under the National Wildlife Act 1976 (as amended). To kill or injure one is a criminal offence. It is also illegal to place a poisoned bait out in the open and doing so presents a significant danger not only wildlife but people and pets.

Yet hen harriers continue to be killed, or disappear in suspicious circumstances, particularly on or near land managed for shooting. Scientific research published in 2019, based on the UK Government’s own data, showed that 72% of satellite-tagged hen harriers in their study were killed or likely killed on British grouse moors, and that hen harriers were 10 times more likely to die or disappear over grouse moor.

Likewise, the RSPB EU Hen Harrier LIFE project (2014-19) found that the main factor limiting the recovery of the hen harrier population continues to be illegal killing associated with management of moorlands for driven grouse shooting. However there hasn’t been a successful prosecution for hen harrier persecution in this time.

Mary being tagged as a chick in 2019

Martin Harper, Global Conservation Director at RSPB said: “Here is another hen harrier which has failed to make it through its first year, thanks to the spectre of illegal persecution. Time and time again, satellite tagging is pinpointing illegal persecution and critically proving that young hen harriers are being killed before they have the chance to breed and bolster the fragile UK population. Bird of prey persecution in connection with land managed for shooting is the number one threat to hen harriers in the UK. This cannot continue, and we are calling for urgent and meaningful changes to address this.”

Neil Morris, Managing Director of Manx Birdlife added: “Despite a great deal of effort by many dedicated individuals and agencies, including the Manx Ringing Group and RSPB, little is known about the movements of Manx hen harriers. We know our young birds have a tendency to wander, in common with other bird of prey species, but none has yet survived long enough away from the Isle of Man to either settle to nest or to return to the Island. We applaud RSPB’s efforts to understand the circumstances of Mary’s premature demise and to demand a full and transparent investigation.”

John Lusby, Raptor Conservation Officer at BirdWatch Ireland said: “It is devasting to learn of the fate of this bird. Each hen harrier in Britain is precious, as their numbers have been decimated by illegal killing. For this bird to travel to Ireland, with so many people invested in its survival and eagerly following its journey, only to suffer the same fate at the hands of wildlife criminals is truly devastating. We are appalled, but sadly not surprised, as this is not an isolated incident. The fact is that, of the small number of birds that have been fitted with tracking devices in Ireland or which travel here from abroad, a high proportion has been killed in similar circumstances to Mary.”

If you have any information relating to this incident, reports can be made in confidence to local Gardaí and the NPWS Navan office at 00353 76 1002636.

Hope for hen harriers? Reflections on 2019

2019-12-20T12:08:00Z

As we reach the end of 2019, Hen Harrier LIFE Project Manager, Dr. Cathleen Thomas, looks back over the year. Those of you that regularly follow the fates of hen harriers in the UK will know that it’s a real roller coaster of a journey, and 201...(read more)

One hen harrier found dead and tagged birds Thistle and Romario disappear in suspicious circumstances

2019-12-09T08:19:00Z

The RSPB is appealing for information following the discovery of the body of a hen harrier found to have been shot and the suspicious disappearances of two young satellite tagged hen harriers.

A member of the public found the dead female bird on a grouse moor on the Dumfries-shire/South Lanarkshire boundary near the village of Wanlockhead on 7 June 2019. A post mortem examination of the body by SRUC vets confirmed that the bird had died as a result of “penetrating trauma” injuries of unknown cause, with shooting a possibility. The examination also showed that the bird had previously been shot, with a shotgun pellet recovered from the left breast muscle. An investigation by Police Scotland has not identified a suspect for the bird’s shooting.

Untagged hen harrier found dead with a shotgun pellet in its left breast muscle

The birds who have disappeared in suspicious circumstances were fitted with a satellite tags under licence by the RSPB’s Hen Harrier LIFE project team this summer while they were still in the nest. Romario, a young male, fledged from a nest on National Trust for Scotland’s Mar Lodge Estate, while Thistle, a young female, was tagged on an estate in Easter Ross.

Romario was last recorded on 11 September on a grouse moor between Tomintoul and Grantown-on-Spey, while the last transmission from Thistle’s tag was received on 12 October, from another grouse moor, in east Sutherland. Satellite tags are highly reliable, so sudden stops in transmission give immediate cause for concern.

Since the birds fledged the project team had been tracking their movements as they set out on their own, using their satellite tags. Romario made his way slowly north, spending time in western Aberdeenshire, before moving into Moray. Thistle, who had been named by the children of Sunnyside Primary School in Glasgow, headed west to into Strathoykel for almost a month before journeys to the east and north of here. She then returned to Strathoykel, before again heading east prior to her disappearance.

Hen harrier Thistle, tagged in the summer of 2019 and named by the children of Sunnyside Primary School in Glasgow - now disappeared in suspicious circumstances

Hen harrier Romario, also tagged in the summer of 2019 and has now disappeared in suspicious circumstances

This appeal for information follows the suspicious disappearance of another Scottish harrier tagged by the project being investigated by Northumbria Police – Ada hatched and was tagged in the Scottish Borders this summer and was last recorded in the North Pennines in England, an area known for bird of prey persecution. When she first fledged she had spent some time in lowland East Lothian before heading south; her tag’s last transmission was on 10 October in a grouse moor area near Allendale in Northumberland. Northumbria Police and the RSPB issued an appeal for information about her last month.

Despite laws to protect them, hen harriers remain one of the UK’s rarest and most persecuted birds of prey. From satellite tagging data they are known to be ten times more likely to be illegally killed over grouse moors where the land is managed specifically to raise artificially high numbers of red grouse, which are then shot, than any other land use.

Studies suggest there are only around 575 pairs of hen harrier remaining in the whole of the UK and Isle of Man. The vast majority of these pairs – 460 – are in Scotland, making the population here crucial to the future of this species in the UK.

Dr Cathleen Thomas, RSPB’s Hen Harrier LIFE Project Manager said: “We’re devastated to have lost more young birds in suspicious circumstances. The UK’s hen harrier population is in such a precarious position it means that every bird really does count and to have these ones disappear at such a young age is really concerning. Sadly, incidents such as this have become common place for our project with tagged hen harriers disappearing at alarming regularity every year, and it’s really worrying that a young female bird has been shot.”

Duncan Orr-Ewing, Head of Species and Land Management at RSPB Scotland said: “The project satellite tags don’t stop transmitting if a bird dies of natural causes. To have them go offline suddenly and without warning strongly suggests the hen harriers have been the victims of crime, as in the case of the shot bird. Scotland is leading the way in the UK in terms of legislation to tackle bird of prey persecution, but continuing incidents such as this show that existing measures are not enough. There needs to be robust regulation of driven grouse shooting if crimes against some of this country’s incredible wildlife are to be brought to an end.”

If anyone can provide information about these incidents or any illegal persecution of birds of prey, please contact Police Scotland on 101, or call the RSPB’s confidential raptor crime hotline on 0300 999 0101.

Hen harrier Ada disappears

2019-11-27T09:00:00Z

Northumbria Police and the RSPB have issued an appeal for information following the sudden disappearance of yet another satellite tagged hen harrier, a female bird known as Ada.

Ada being tagged as a chick this summer

Ada hatched on a nest on the Scottish borders this summer (2019). She was fitted with a satellite tag by the RSPB’s Hen Harrier LIFE project team, to learn more about the journeys made by these rare birds of prey and the survival challenges they face.

Ada was the first of the chicks tagged this summer to leave her nest and proved to be naturally adventurous. After fledging she flew north, spending some time on a disused golf course near Dunbar, then she headed south to the North Pennines. On the morning of 10 October 2019 her tag sent its last transmission from an area of grouse moor east of Allendale, Northumberland. Her tag showed no signs of malfunction and there were several satellites passing over, so it was expected to continue to provide data. RSPB staff were in the area at the time the tag would have transmitted, but neither the bird nor her tag could be found nor have been heard from since.

Her disappearance is being treated as suspicious and was reported to the police.

All birds of prey are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. To kill or injure one is a criminal offence and could result in an unlimited fine or up to six months in jail. Yet the evidence shows hen harriers continue to be killed, or disappear in suspicious circumstances, particularly on or near land managed for driven grouse shooting.

Scientific research published in March 2019 showed that 72% of the satellite tagged hen harriers in their study were killed or very likely to have been killed on British grouse moors, and that hen harriers were 10 times more likely to die or disappear over areas of grouse moor relative to other land uses.

Dr Cathleen Thomas, Senior Project Manager for the Hen Harrier LIFE project, said:

“Over 30 chicks were tagged this summer and we’ve watched with interest as they’ve grown up and flown around the country. We’re absolutely gutted that Ada has disappeared in suspicious circumstances at just a few months’ old.”

Emma Marsh, Director for RSPB England, said:

“Hen harriers have become a rare breeding bird across the UK mainly due to illegal persecution by humans. In England, the last population survey recorded only four territorial pairs, despite scientific studies showing enough food and habitat to support over 320 pairs. Our own tagging work has shown that survival of young birds post-fledging is very low. This won’t change until something is done about illegal persecution. The Government’s own data has highlighted a loss of 72% of their tagged birds in suspicious circumstances, and we are calling on them to take vital measures to address this appalling situation.”

The RSPB is calling for the Government to introduce of a system of licensing for driven grouse moors, whereby this license to operate could be taken away should illegal activity be uncovered. We believe that this approach will act as a far greater deterrent than current legislation.

If you have any information relating to this incident, call Northumbria police on 101.

If you find a wild bird of prey which you suspect has been illegally killed, contact RSPB investigations on 01767 680551 or fill in the online form.

Thank you.

RSPB Hen Harrier LIFE Report

2019-11-25T09:53:00Z

We have now released our RSPB Hen Harrier LIFE project report. The report provides more information about the project, including outlining the existing threats to hen harriers, what we have done so far to address them, our major achievements over the past 5.5 years, and our recommendations for the future.

The Hen Harrier LIFE project has been a resounding success - we've protected over 100 nests and 150 winter roosts, tagged over 100 birds, catalogued 328 bird crime incidents, shown how moorlands can be managed sustainably, talked about the issues facing hen harriers with nearly 13,000 people and raised awareness of this beautiful bird.

The success of the project has been in the partnership work across Scotland, England, Wales, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, and France. We have collaborated with landowners and managers, conservation organisations, the police, community groups and people who monitor and protect birds of prey.

We would like to say a particular thank you to the Northern England Raptor Forum and Scottish Raptor Study Group, whose members have donated thousands of hours of their own time to help us to protect and monitor hen harriers on the hills.

The key finding of this project is that the main factor limiting the recovery of the hen harrier population continues to be illegal killing associated with management of moorlands for driven grouse shooting. These findings add to an overwhelming body of independent scientific evidence that shows illegal killing is prevalent across the UK.

Self-regulation of the UK's grouse moors has failed. We recommend a licensing system is implemented, underpinned by effective monitoring and enforcement, which would hold grouse moor owners to account to show they are managing their land sustainably and legally. Sanctions imposed by magistrates for wildlife crime are currently inadequate and do not act as a deterrent to those who would commit wildlife crimes. We would like to see stronger sentences imposed across the UK, and for the introduction of a vicarious liability legislation across the UK, as it is currently only in place in Scotland.

It is vital that we continue to engage communities who live and work in the uplands, and work in partnership with local police forces to encourage the public to recognise, record and report wildlife crimes to the RSPB Investigations team, or to their local police force. We also need joined-up conservation action on the ground, through development of a coordinated European Species Action Plan, to understand the reasons for the hen harrier population decline across this wider range and take action to address key threats.

There is much still to do, and although the Hen Harrier LIFE project is coming to an end, the RSPB will continue to work hard to secure a better future for hen harriers. We will be making sure our project findings reach those in a position to take action to protect hen harriers and ensure that our uplands are managed legally and sustainably, for the benefit of everyone.

Read the report below to find out more. You can also help us by sharing this report with as many people as you can - the more people that know about the problems facing our hen harriers, the louder our voice to call for the changes they need.

The colour ring code

2019-10-09T15:34:00Z

Assistant Investigations Officer – Jack Ashton-Booth – from the Hen Harrier LIFE Project, talks us through the secret to uncovering a hen harrier’s history.

The seasons have turned, and the autumn skies have grown big, blue and crisp. As our hen harriers settle into their roosts, traversing the landscape, you might have been fortunate enough to see one for yourself against the backdrop of the blustery sky.

But did you know that hen harriers carry colour rings on their legs that could be the key to finding out more about this bird? Never fear, we’re here to talk you through how to identify the code that reveals a hen harrier’s history.

This species is of great conservation significance and is treasured by the birding community, yet it suffering a significant population decline across the UK. An overwhelming body of independent scientific evidence shows that the main reason for the decline is illegal killing associated with intensive management of moorlands for grouse shooting. The most recent study found that 72% of satellite tagged hen harriers were either confirmed or likely to have been illegally killed and are ten times more likely to die over areas of land being managed as grouse moor than land with no grouse moor.

If you’re a keen naturalist, bird watcher or photographer you might have been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a rare hen harrier, or maybe you even managed to get a photograph as one danced over the moorland. To learn more about how far these birds disperse nationally and internationally, how long they live, as well as where they nest and roost during the winter, we have fitted nestlings with a lightweight and hard-wearing colour ring.

The ring is fitted on the bird’s leg, and each colour ring gives a unique code. Each ring is carefully fitted by an individual wo has been fully trained, under license by the BTO, and is sealed carefully to ensure that nothing can get caught in the opening where the ring is closed. These rings will also hopefully allow us one day to carry out additional survival analyses too.

As part of the Hen Harrier LIFE Project, we use satellite tagging technology which provides live tracking data that allows us to follow where hen harriers are and their outcomes. However, the cost involved in this process, from the cost of the individual tag, to the data downloads, to the time invested in fitting these tags to fledgling birds, means that using colour rings gives us information about the wider population of the species. This is a fantastic and cost-effective solution that provides a combination of tools to analyse the population more completely.

What to look for:

A black colour ring with a white inscription on the bird’s left leg. The rings are inscribed with two digits (usually a number and a letter).

How to read the ring:

When you are reading the colour ring, the trick is to read from the top to the bottom – knee to foot. We’ve included an example for you to look at.

What have these rings told us so far?

When out and about as part of my role as Assistant Investigations Officer for the Hen Harrier LIFE Project, I am lucky enough to see hen harrier in the uplands. I recently photographed a male hen harrier and upon closer inspection the photographs revealed the two-letter code that allowed me to find out more about these birds by submitting my sighting to the project.

The first was a breeding male I had seen at the nest, and the colour ring data tells us that the bird was born in 2014, making it 5 years old. As that male was seen helping to raise a brood of chicks, it’s exciting to think about the life of this bird. His chicks were colour ringed this year too, so you may spot them if you’re out and about!

Another colour ringed male hen harrier was seen roosting in the reedbeds at RSPB Blacktoft Sands in East Yorkshire and was photographed by Graham Catley. From his excellent photos we could see the bird’s colour ring on its left leg and again the original ringing records told us that this bird was ringed as a chick in Scotland and was born in 2016.

Working with hen harriers on this project, we receive a lot of bad news and lose many birds before their time, so it is wonderful to see male hen harriers surviving well in the wild. It reminds us that everyone should have the opportunity to see these birds.

Are the colour rings only used in the UK?

Colour ringing isn’t just carried out across the UK, but worldwide, and has been a useful tool to shed light on the movements of the harriers on the near continent.

Staff at the Dutch Montagu’s Harrier Foundation observed a hen harrier they had tagged crossing the North Sea to spend the winter in the UK. This further highlights the importance of maintaining good quality roost sites in the UK for hen harriers across Europe, and how critical it is to protect these migrating birds across the whole of their range.

We also know the birds from the UK visit the Netherlands. In April 2019, a hen harrier chick who was colour ringed on Hoy, in the Orkney Islands by the Scottish Raptor Study Group in 2018 was photographed by one of the Dutch Montagu’s Harrier Foundations volunteers in the north of the Netherlands. Less than a handful of records of Scottish birds have been observed there. Like us, they need your help to look for colour ringed birds and are hoping more birds are discovered moving between the UK and continental Europe in the future.

This season Dutch birds have been fitted with orange colour rings with a black inscription with one number and one letter on the bird’s right leg. H3 below is one of the Dutch colour ringed adult females who is a remarkable 9 years old (ringed in 2011 as a chick) and again her offspring were also colour ringed, one of whom is shown in the image below.

Colour ringing is a vital technique to help us uncover more about the journeys our hen harriers are making, how long they are living, and the places they are visiting.

Please do help us out by taking photos of any hen harriers you see and checking if they have colour rings fitted. You can report them to our hen harrier hotline by calling us on: 08454 600 131 (calls charged at local rates) or email us at henharriers@rspb.org.uk with information on what it looked like, where it was (grid reference if possible) and what it was doing (eg. flying North, hunting, carrying nesting material). You might learn something remarkable about your encounter!

Hen Harriers in Birdcrime Report 2018

2019-09-02T09:06:00Z

Every year our investigations team release a report listing the crimes against birds of prey in the UK. Last year, in the Birdcrime 2017 report, we revealed that there had been 68 confirmed incidents of bird persecution. Sadly, in 2018, that has increased to 87 confirmed incidents.

What is most unsettling, is that these numbers simply don’t reflect the true scale of persecution. This is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the illegal killing of our birds of prey. We know, from independent studies on raptor populations, that more incidents will have taken place undetected or unreported and so the true extent of the problem goes far deeper.

Birdcrime 2018 confirmed that there were a devastating 41 incidents involving shooting, 28 poisoning, 16 trapping, and there were a further two incidents involving other persecution. Of those victims, four were cases involving hen harrier.

These four incidents are not representative of the scale of persecution for these magnificent birds. The Hen Harrier LIFE Project has been using extremely reliable, satellite tagging technology to track and record the life journeys of over 80 hen harriers over five years. Unfortunately, this has revealed the shocking levels of illegal persecution in and around our UK uplands.

Raptors are proven to face a high risk of persecution on driven grouse moors according to scientific research conducted by the government. Their study ran from 2007 to 2017 and found that 72% of satellite tagged hen harriers were either confirmed or likely to have been illegally killed, and are ten times more likely to die over areas of land being managed as grouse moor than land with no grouse moor.

Regular readers of the blog will know that during the course of 2018, we have lost many of our satellite tagged hen harriers in suspicious circumstances across the UK, their bodies and tags never recovered: Rannoch, Heather, Lia, Blue, Saorsa, Marc, Aalin, Finn, Hilma, Athena, Octavia, Margot, Heulwen, Stelmaria, Thor and Arthur.

Some people who are working to keep grouse in high numbers, believe birds of prey like the hen harrier threaten red grouse. This is despite the availability of diversionary feeding, which reduces predation pressure of hen harrier upon red grouse chicks up to 100%. The perceived conflict between hen harrier and red grouse means illegal killing in the uplands is rife, with 67% of those convicted of raptor persecution related offences since 1990 being within the gamekeeping profession.

The killing of hen harriers is illegal, as is all persecution of birds of prey, according to the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act. Obeying the law is not be optional. For this reason, the RSPB is urging the government to act now and end the criminality in our uplands. Martin Harper, RSPB’s Director of Conservation said: “Grouse moor management needs urgent reform. The relentless persecution of birds of prey must stop. Enough is enough.”

Birds of prey should be free to soar, enriching our lives as well as our eco-systems. But sadly, many of these birds fall victim to illegal persecution, particularly in upland areas of the UK.

If the criminality revealed in the Birdcrime 2018 report has shocked you and you want to know what you can do as an individual to help, here are three simple things you can do:

Report crimes: the public have a huge role to place in the fight to protect our birds of prey. If you see suspicious activity, find evidence of illegal traps or find a dead or injured bird of prey, please call the police on 101, or alternatively call our RSPB investigations team on 01767 680 551 or if you’re in Scotland 0131 317 4100. Reports are treated in the strictest confidence.
Donate: you can help the RSPB’s investigations team fight for the future of birds like the hen harrier, by becoming a Bird of Prey Defender for just £3 a month, or through a one-off donation.
Raise your voice: joining the conversation on twitter - @rspb_skydancer – or at a Hen Harrier Day event. Public pressure is crucial in turning the tide for birds of prey. You could also write to your MP to lobby for a change to legislation for our uplands such as calling for a licensing system for grouse shooting.